Saturday/Farewell Party

Today is (was) Saturday and it was yet another beautiful day.  Quite literally it has been the quiet before the storm as Typhoon #19 is expected to start making its way along the entire length of Japan.  We still expect to be able to sneak away on the plane just ahead of the storm.  The students spent the entire morning and afternoon with their host families doing various fun activities.  We chaperones had a delightfully late morning and s-l-o-w and unscheduled mid-day of shopping followed by lunch on Noto Island at a very peaceful, out-of-the-way noodle shop/pottery studio overlooking Nanao Bay through a grove of ornamental cherry trees.  Our guide/driver was Mr. Yoshimura who gave up his Saturday to take us around to various home centers to find tools to make soba noodles from scratch at home (yes, you will hear more about this later!) and other last-minute souvenirs.  It was a very pleasant autumn afternoon!  Then it was off to the Farewell Party.  The photos tell you the story.  Tomorrow, bright and early, we will start on the long journey home!